WiFi hotspot user FAQ (frequently asked questions)

Answers to these questions are unfortunately, not always exact or concrete enough. We (Sylbek) do not have access to customer hotspot networks
and we do not always have knowledge of reconfigurations that are carried out on the equipment.
We sell the equipment but we make no further charges to hotspot operators or users after that.
Operators create users locally and have complete authority over all equipment settings.

Q.1

How do I connect to a Hotspot?

A.1

When you find yourself, with your notebook or smart phone, within range of a hotspot access point, your WLAN hardware will identify one or
more networks with the name 'Sylbek-Hotspot' or for example a company name, location or name of the hotel.
The name can be set by the operator locally therefore please contact the local operator in cases of uncertainty.
Hotspot access points are unencrypted so that everyone can connect to find further information on the login page.
There you can find whether further web pages can be visited without an account or where you can get an access code.

Q.2

Who can help me if there are problems?

A.2

The best and often the easiest way, is to contact your local hotspot provider.
If you still want to contact us so please send us the name of the hotel, company or hotspot operator where the Sylbek hotspot is located.

Q.3

What does hotspot access cost?

A.3

When you are connected as described in A.1 above you may see information on prices on the login or welcome page.
In any case you should at least see a point of contact where you can find further information on prices if and when they are raised.
As there are no continuous charges for hotspot equipment therefore internet access is often free of charge.

Q.4

I was able to connect to the 'Sylbek-Hotspot' access point but the login page does not appear?

A.4

Check to see if you can open a HTTP page and not a HTTPS one.
You can also enter hotspot.server or try entering the gateway IP address,
for example 172.28.128.1 or 172.28.192.1 respectively.

When you open up a HTTPS page, automatic forwarding to the login page will not happen because your browser will interpret this as a security risk.
This is also the case for competitor hotspots.

Q.5

The connection to the hotspot from my hotel room disconnects intermittently. What can I do?

A.5

The connection could be too weak or fluctuates too much.
It could be possible that the nearest access point is too far away or perhaps your device or the access point has too little range.
In any case the local operator should be able to help. The problem is often solved by changing the channel on the respective access point.

Q.6

Is my data protected from other hotspot users?

A.6

Our hotspot units are delivered with IP4 Isolation as standard.
If you have set your equipment to receive an IP address automatically (standard setting) you will get a subnet mask of 255.255.255.255 or 255.255.255.252.
That means that you exclusively connected to the server within its network and that your data cannot be shared with other hotspot users.
You should deactivate other protocols such as iP6 as this is not as yet in use on the internet.

You are also protected from internet threats via the built in firewall, nevertheless you should take your own precautions by looking at the way you surf the internet.
You should also use, when available, SSL or VPN connections to protect your sensitive data.

Q.7

How high is the download speed via the hotspot?

A.7

Download speeds or transmission rates depend on many factors, too little internet, too many users or an unstable connection to the nearest access point.
The hotspot operator is also able to limit bandwidth.
The bandwidth limits are however always enough to surf as these should not be below 512kbits in Europe.
A sensible bandwidth limit is advantageous to you as 'normal user' so that high download users have less effect on you.

Q.8

Do I get a receipt with my internet access?

A.8

When you pay for your access you should always get a receipt.
Speak with the contact person that you should find on the login page or where you got your access code from.

Q.9

Can I connect to my company via an existing VPN client?

A.9

After logging on there are no blocked ports, therefore you can connect to your company network via VPN.
As there can be many routers except hotspot router which use NAT, you should check whether NAT translation capable software is used,
both on the client side and on the VPN server side.

Q.10

I do not have the admin rights to change my fixed IP on my notebook. Can I still connect to the hotspot?

A.10

Yes, because the Sylbek Hotspot Server uses transparent address translation, a fixed or dynamic IP address is not prerequisite.
The one prerequisite is that a standard gateway and a fixed DNS are present.

Q.11

Is the internet provider allowed to record the internet pages I visit?

A.11

No, content is not allowed to be recorded to which, visited internet pages (URL´s or links) belong to. At least so in Germany.
By default data recording is deactivated at the time of delivery.
The local hotspot operator can however easily activate data recording.
What can be recorded can be seen here Hotspot and Data Recording.
A provider tries to protect itself by activating data recording, as a precaution against copy right infringements can be caused by users.